Homecoming
by Monkeybarrel
Summary: There is no place like home, but it just takes Kai a little while to figure out where exactly home is.


Warning- Language and yao-ish content

Disclaimer- Kazuma Kodaka owns all that is her Kizuna

Notes- My entry for a writing challenge, and my first time trying Kizuna.  I hope it can be enjoyed and feedback is always appreciated.  Thank you.  ^_^

Homecoming

Outside, the darkened sky and the pouring rain made the interior of the library even more welcome when he finally stumbled inside.  He brushed the wet strands of his hair to the side of his face and looked around.  It had been awhile since had been here last.

A brush of instinct made him look to the left and he saw that a young man behind the reference desk was staring at him, his face full of disapproval.

"What are you looking at?" he mumbled and then turned his eyes at himself.  His clothes were soaked, and a small puddle of water was forming at his feet.  He glared down at himself and beat his hand against his side, as if wiping away dust.  So what if he was wet?  Was that against the rules here?

He turned when he heard the door open and he saw a woman walk in.  As she stepped inside, she lowered and closed her umbrella, placing it in one of the holders near the entrance and then walked through.  The man at the reference desk flashed a warm smile as she passed him.  He then looked back at Kai and raised his eyebrows, as if saying "See what we do here?"

Kai simply scowled back and rubbed his nose on the sleeve of his jacket.  It left it no drier than before, but it gave him an idea.  Taking off his coat, he walked over, and dropped the whole thing on the desk.

"So do you guys have a place to hang this?" He tried not to smile as he saw that the water began to drip off the desk onto the librarian's pants.

The man gaped at him for a moment and then pointed to behind Kai.  "There are hooks back there."

He smiled in response and then dragged his coat off the desk, leaving a wet trail behind.  "Thanks a bunch."

Ignoring the dark look he was receiving from the direction of the reference desk, Kai started to explore the shelves.  If he was going to have to spend some time here while waiting out the rain, he might as well do something besides drip everywhere.

He frowned at the books lined up in front of him.  None of them looked interesting.  But then again, he didn't really want to be here in the first place…

Only a half hour before, the sky had just been a light gray, giving off hardly a hint of what was to soon come.  He had been lounging at Sempai's apartment, eating fruit and watching TV.  Sure, that was something he could do at his own place, but…

Being with Sempai was so much more fun.  Hell, being with anyone was so much more fun than being alone at his place.

Well, maybe not Enjouji.  That bastard…hogging Sempai like that.  His ass is so going down next time they meet.

It had been his brother who had literally plucked the last bit of melon from his mouth, picked him up by the pants, and then shoved him out the door.

"Go home, Kai!"

"Asshole, leggo!"

"Enjouji.  We were just watching-"

"Just nothing!  I come home and want to spend time with YOU.  Just YOU.   But NO.  Here's my brother eating the last of MY melon!"

"It was soooooo sweet too."  Kai licked his lips as he held his arms out in the doorway.  He'd enjoyed the look of horror he received with that one.

But he hadn't enjoyed the boot in the backside, followed by his face in the floor of the hallway in front of their apartment door.

"Fine!  I don't need to be here!"  He'd yelled back.  "I got to be places too!"

"Then go there!" his brother shouted through the door.

He raised his fist and flipped off the door and then started to stomp down the hall.  He heard a click behind him and he turned to see their door cracked open, and Sempai's head peeking out.

"I'm so sorry, Kai.  It seems like he's had a really bad day.  So maybe this is for the best."  He smiled and every bit of anger that Kai had seemed to fall away.  "You know how he gets when he's cranky."

"He knows because he makes me that way!" was shouted back from the inside.

"Go sit down.  Now." Sempai's voice lowered into a direct order.  He turned back to Kai, his face once again calm.  "Well then, you have somewhere to go, yes?"

"…Yeah."  He tried to think fast.  "I got to go to the…to the…library.  Studying stuff."

"Wonderful."  Sempai smiled brightly.  "Good luck.  And you probably should hurry.  It looks like it might rain."

He had waved his warning off with a shrug and nodded goodbye and left Sempai to take care of stupid Enjouji.  What he realized though as he left the building was that he should have asked to borrow an umbrella.  But even with the rain falling, he wasn't going back inside, not to THAT.  So instead, he stomped off down the street, the last thing he had said still in his mind.  Maybe the library wouldn't be too bad right now.  Better than this, and better than listening to Enjouji bitch.

But standing inside now, he suddenly felt just as lost as he did while he sat on the floor of the hallway.  Everyone around here seemed to be having something to do.  Even the kids in the corner were reading quietly.  He was just standing there like an idiot, staring around at the shelves.

"Is there something I can help you find?"

He turned to see the reference librarian standing next to him.  He had a smug look of satisfaction on his face.  "If you're having difficulty, I can read aloud some of the titles for you."

Bastard.  Screw off.  "I'm fine." And to look like he meant it, he grabbed the first book in reach and pulled it off the shelf.  "I'm just gonna go and read this."

The librarian smiled at him sweetly.  "Wonderful choice."

He looked down to see what the other man was looking at, and he couldn't hide his surprise.

"I had no idea you were breastfeeding." The man continued.  "It's truly the most natural way for mothers."

He didn't know what would be more stupid, to put the book back, or to take it with him.   The librarian's satisfaction was driving him nuts though.  Finally, he held his head up high.  Kai Sagano- the son of his high ranking yakuza family, will be spending his afternoon reading about- he looked down at the cover again- lactating nipples.

He met the other's eyes in full.  "Thanks for all your help.  This is what I need."  He tapped the man's arm with the book and then walked over to the first empty table he found.  Without turning his back, he opened the book, and bent his head down.  Even if he wasn't reading, he was certainly going to look like he was.

He got through the first few paragraphs of "Why breast feed?" when his eyes started to wander again.  The room held a strange stillness, only interrupted by an occasional cough.  Here and there, he could hear a page turning, or soft scribbling down on paper, but overall, the stillness covered everything.  So quiet, it felt strange and alien, but as he looked around, no one else seemed to be bothered by this.  He puffed out his cheeks and looked down at his book.  Why was he here?

Because he couldn't be there.  His thoughts darkened as he remembered how hard his brother had kicked him.

"Asshole." He muttered under his breath.

He dropped his chin in his hand and turned to the windows on the far side.  The sky was almost dark enough to fool someone into thinking it was evening.  He stared glumly at the rain still falling and then looked back at the desk.  How long was he going to have stay here?  Should he wait or should he just say "Fuck it!" and go out.  So what if he got wet?  Hanging around here seemed even worse than being stuck outside.  As least outside he wouldn't be sitting in this weird quiet that didn't want him here.  He peered over his shoulder and saw that the librarian was glancing over towards him.  He stuck his tongue out and turned back to his book.  "Assholes.  All of'em."

"Everyone?  Bon, that's little rough, even for you."

Kai's eyes widened and he looked to the other end of the table.  There, a familiar, well-dressed figure was sitting, one leg crossed over the other, a newspaper in his hands.  Kai couldn't hide his shock.

"Masa!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhh!"  The librarian hissed.

Kai shot him a dark look, and then turned back to the other man.  He picked up his chair and sat it down right next to him.  "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

Masa held a finger to his lips and nodded towards the disapproving librarian behind them.  He held up the newspaper in response.

Kai suddenly didn't care about being quiet.  With Masa here, everything was different.  "I mean it.  What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," he answered simply and turned back to his newspaper.

"But how did you know I was here?"

Masa gave him a level look. "Bon, I know everything about you."

Kai felt the blush instantly and looked away.  Stupid Masa.   Why does he say stuff like that?

He felt a hand on his head, and Masa bent down so his mouth was right by his ear.  "When you weren't at your apartment, I called Samejima-san, and he told me where you might be.  And when I got here, you were so engrossed in your reading, I didn't want to disturb you."  He reached out and picked up Kai's book off the table.  "I never knew you were so interested in breasts, Bon."

Kai grabbed the book from him.  "It's not what you think!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!"  They both turned to see the librarian stalking over towards them.

"Shit.  Him again." Kai stood up.  Library or not, this guy's attention was way passed normal, and he'd had enough of it.  And if he was going to get thrown out of here, he might as have a real reason.  He started to roll up one sleeve.  "Wait here, Masa.  I have to take care of something."

But Masa didn't wait.  He never did.  Instead, he put down the newspaper and stood up.  Taking Kai's arm in one hand, and his book in the other, he walked over to the advancing librarian.

"Thank you for all your help to Bon here." He voice was low, but it seemed to carry across the whole room.  He passed the book to the man, and then walked Kai to the door.

"I'm not a baby!" he hissed.

"Are you sure?  Because both your reading and your behavior says quite the opposite."  Masa took Kai's jacket from the hook and held it out to him.  "Come on.  The car is waiting out front."

They stepped outside, and Kai started down the steps, but Masa reached his hand out to stop him.  He took out his umbrella, opened it, and held it above him.

Kai, still stung from his last comment, ignored him and walked out to the sidewalk.  He looked around for the car.  "I thought you said it was waiting outside!"

Masa remained on the steps.  "It may be driving around the block.  It should be here in a moment.  Why don't you come here and wait with me?"

Kai stood where he was.  This wasn't what he wanted.  He wanted to see Masa more than anything, but his anger and embarrassment that seemed to follow his entire afternoon stuck faster to him than his wet clothes.  He ducked his head and watched the rain drops slips down his bangs.

"Why didn't you just call?" he finally asked.

"Well, it seems you haven't noticed that you left your cell phone at Sagejima-san's apartment."

Kai hand went to his pants pocket and then to his coat.  He was right.  It was gone.  His embarrassment deepened more.  "…Still!  You could have told me earlier that you would be in Tokyo in the first place!  Why do you always do this?  Why do you always have to just appear out of nowhere?"

He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn.  He just continued yelling.  "I can't depend on you at all!  You're never there when I want you be!  And then when you are here-"  He closed his eyes to the footsteps, to the rain, to his embarrassment, and to his whole stupid afternoon.  "You got to go and be an asshole just like everyone else.  Well, I don't need that!"  He sniffed.  "And I don't need you so you can just go back to Osaka!"

He opened his eyes and saw that the drops around his feet had stopped.  He looked up to see Masa right in front of him, the umbrella tight in his hands.

Before Kai could speak, he brought the umbrella down so it blocked their view of the street, and then he brought his face down so it blocked Kai's view of everything else.  For one long moment, his thoughts seemed to stop as Masa pressed his own mouth on his.  Kai closed his eyes and accepted it.  He couldn't help it.  It was what he really wanted.

But he was still angry for Masa reading him so easily.  He broke the kiss and stepped away.  He could feel the rain now on the back of his neck.

"Don't think that solves everything, because- because-"  Because it really did, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

Masa took his chin and placed a finger over his mouth, closing it.  "I didn't tell you earlier that I was coming, because I didn't want to disappoint myself if I couldn't break away from the job.  And I know if I heard your voice, I would lose all concentration on what I had to do.  And so I waited until I knew I could devote my time to just you.  Are you happy now, Bon?"

Kai swallowed, all words lost.  He jumped as a car suddenly stopped in front of them.

Masa opened the door to the backseat, and motioned him to get in.  "Are you ready to go now?  Or do you still want to pout in the rain?"

Kai rubbed his nose on his sleeve and got inside the car.  He moved over to the far side to give Masa room next to him.  With the door slammed shut, they left the library and headed down the road.  They both sat there in silence, and Kai listened to the rain hitting the roof of the car.

"…I have to go to Sempai's to get my phone."

Masa sighed.  "Leave it.  We'll get it later."

"But what if I need it.  I just can't leave it-" Kai stopped as Masa put his hand on his leg.

"Leave it for now, Bon.  One less distraction would not be a bad thing."

He swallowed and looked out the window.  Masa's hand on his leg seemed so large and imposing, so much like him.  He left it there, and Kai felt his heart start to race just as his earlier anger ebbed away.  He breathed in, and closed his eyes, and listened to the rain, and let Masa gently rub his knee.  His former guardian had a way of calming him down that not ever Sempai could compare to.

"I wish you would use an umbrella," Masa broke the quiet.  He reached over and brushed a few wet strands from Kai's forehead.

"…Why should I?  I have you, don't I?"

"How is that?  Wasn't it just you who was saying I'm never around?"  The voice held a hint of bitterness, and Kai regretted his earlier words.  There was so much in their past that Masa blamed himself for, times when he couldn't stop Kai from getting hurt.  It was so long ago, but their history hung in the air as if fell with the rain outside.

"…No, you are.  You're there."  He swallowed and leaned his head forward so Masa's hand slipped through his hair and rested on the back of his head.  He didn't care if the driver could see them in the mirror.  He felt suddenly that being in the back with Masa allowed him more freedom to act how he really wanted to, and he didn't care who watched.  "You always are.  Even when you're not…you are."  He blushed at his own words and was thankful that in the dark, the other man couldn't see it.

In response, Masa simply dropped his lips on Kai's head and kissed his hair.

"We're almost home."  Kai could feel Masa speak though his skin.  He leaned his head against his shoulder and closed his eyes, and felt Masa's suit on his cheek.  He listened to the rain outside, and to the car drive through the wet streets, and to his own heart racing as they got closer.

No.  Not closer.  Here.  He fingers rose and fell on Masa's chest.

Home, belonging, everything-

"If you're looking for breasts, I'm afraid you won't find any."  He heard a low chuckle by his ear.

It was right here.

He took his fist and beat lightly across Masa's front.  "Shut up!"

"You are such a kid still."

"Am not!"

He knew his place, the place where he most belonged was with him.  But he never wanted to give Masa the satisfaction of hearing those words from his mouth.  Instead, he jumped out of the car as it stopped in front of his building, and ran up the stairs, the rain pelting passed him.

He heard the car door slam.  He heard the footsteps follow.  He heard the whoosh of the umbrella open, but he didn't turn around.  He didn't need to.  Kai never needed to look to know that his home was there, always there, with him.
    
    ^^


End file.
